Kleines Fahrzeug - große Wirkung: Das VRF der Feuerwehr Tulln-Stadt

Powerful extinguishing technology, comprehensive technical equipment for operations and modern communication technology in a compact and manoeuvrable vehicle: This is the new First Response Vehicle (FRV) of the Tulln fire department. Thanks to this combination, the FRV is not only versatile, but also a very powerful vehicle for first response.

The Tulln firefighters receive more than 400 calls per year, the majority of which are rescue operations. Sections of highways are just as much an area of operation as railways. Accordingly, the fire department is frequently called out to traffic accidents. The equipment of the FRV from the CL (Compact Line) Series is perfectly suited to such operations. The Poly CAFS SL 200 extinguishing system ensures that smaller fires (such as vehicle fires) can be controlled quickly and effectively. With the hydraulic rescue set consisting of a cutter, spreader, rams, and hydraulic pump (aggregate), persons trapped in vehicles can be freed. It is mounted on a full load slide tray and can be completely removed, if necessary. Thanks to an additional electrically driven hydraulic pump, two different devices can be operated simultaneously, which allows for aid to be rendered more quickly in an emergency.

Compact, robust and powerful

When selecting the chassis, the Tulln fire department opted for a model which is not particularly common in Central Europe: a Ford F-350 4x4 crew cab with 390 hp, 6.2 liters, and 5.5 t gross vehicle weight. The compact design, good road handling due to the low construction height, and the powerful four-wheel drive were major reasons for this choice. Thanks to its cross-country capability, it can reach remote locations in bad weather conditions. The ingenious design of the FRV, with the deep-drawn equipment compartments made from aluminum, ensures optimum space utilization. Large lateral shutters ensure quick access to the equipment. At the rear, an equipment room hatch provides protection in case of rain or strong sunlight. From there, the main equipment (lighting, extinguishing system, rescue system) can be operated. All equipment rooms and the exterior of the vehicle are illuminated by powerful LED lighting, which enables optimal working in the dark.

Use as a mobile operations center

The FRV is not only optimally equipped for smaller extinguishing operations and traffic accidents. The crew compartment can, with some refinements, be used as a mobile operations center. Between the individual seats in the rear, a desk can be mounted with a Plexiglass support and a holder for a tablet PC. The crew can set up a Wi-Fi hotspot and connect to the firehouse, thanks to the available ELW router. This allows for activities supporting command and control to be implemented quickly and easily directly on site. In practice, the most useful item is the portable tablet computer: This unit can give access to a wide range of information in seconds."We wanted a compact vehicle with an all-wheel drive that can be used universally. This means that the vehicle can be used for rescues in the course of traffic accidents, for smaller extinguishing operations and, if necessary, as a mobile command center. "In the new FRV, we have found a vehicle with the usual high quality standards of Rosenbauer, which has perfectly fulfilled our expectations," according to Deputy Commander Gerhard Müller of the Tulln fire department.

Spectacular baptism of fire in the first operation

Not even 24 hours after the official commissioning of the new FRV, it was able to prove itself in a spectacular operation. A passenger car collided on a highway with a truck that was loaded with more than 80 gas cylinders. The road had to be closed due to the risk of explosion. The FRV established fire prevention and secured the site before the vehicles involved and the gas cylinders were recovered. Just as in this operation, the Tulln fire department's new FRV will continue to prove itself thanks to the high quality standards and the robust construction.